After years of being polio-free, Israel was shaken up by the discovery of a silent polio pandemic within its borders in 2013. The outbreak could’ve caused chaos if it had not been caught early. Their saviour? Sewers. In 1989, Israel established a national sewage surveillance system that monitored wastewater for the polio virus. It was this same system that discovered a budding resurgence of the dreaded disease. Experts are now exploring wastewater surveillance to track other diseases, like COVID-19, as wastewater reflects health trends days before cases spike. Read full article here
Societal Issues
To curb drug deaths, communities turn to Reddit, texts and wastewater
With drug overdose deaths on the rise, authorities are attempting to curb the epidemic by tracking and sharing information in real time. In one unique effort, a nonprofit in New York City is using drug-testing equipment and stamping or marking habits of dealers to identify drug batches that may endanger users. Other approaches are also being used, such as monitoring drug-related chatter on Reddit and analyzing local wastewater for opioid and other drug levels. With the combination of these efforts, researchers hope to put a dent in the opioid crisis and reduce overdose deaths. Read full article here
Merv
June 1, 2023
